by Derric Miller
— Managing Editor —
In the ’80s, the surge of Hard Rock and Hair Metal bands was a beauty to experience for fans of sleaze, glam and just having a good time. The problem was, for every talented band like Great White, there was a Wild Boyz. For every Def Leppard, there was a Pretty Boy Floyd. The oversaturation of screechy singers with big hair led to the rise of the Grunge Movement, and Nirvana tilted the world on its axis come the ’90s, making Hard Rock fade away … for a while. Today, few of those ’80s bands are still making new music today, and if they are, many of them — like Dokken and Bon Jovi — have lost one of the most important aspects of what made ’80s Hard Rock so anthemic: their singers can’t sing.
So when you listen to the new BulletBoys album From Out of the Skies, you’ll hear that lead singer Marq Torien can still bring it, and be pumped that maybe he’s better today than he ever was. How many ’80s singers can you say that about? Ron Keel, Tony Harnell, Ronnie Atkins, Tony Mills, Steve Whiteman, Ted Poley … to name a few, but add Torien to that list.
BulletBoys was never really ONLY a Hair Metal band, but more of a Hard Rock band with bluesy influences. “For the Love of Money” is an applicable reference point. Their new album has those sort of influences still, but with a more modern sound, and while they are still about the bombast, it’s the softer songs the band really shines on.
“Apocalypto” starts the new journey, an extremely Blues-edged rocker with a bevy of two-part harmonies and Torien singing with a slightly Prince-like falsetto at times. (No one does falsetto like Prince did, so it’s not fair to compare, but it’s in that ballpark.) It’s a huge, fun way to blast off the new album, and Torien–who was a lead guitarist before he owned the mic in BulletBoys–is still a groove-based axe-slinger.
The title track owns some mammoth melodies, and it’s a bit frantic at times, especially when Torien is nearly screaming sections of the chorus at the end. As far as the heavier songs, “From Out of the Skies” has the catchiest chorus.
“Losing End Again” is the album’s first slower song, an acoustic-led composition, and this is where Torien excels as a singer. In his lower more natural range, there’s a vulnerability and smoky hue to his vocals, and it all just feels so damn honest. He has more control that he used to back in the ’80s, where you couldn’t envision him doing something like “More Than Words” with aplomb. He sure as hell could today. This is one of those songs you just want to hit repeat over and over and it never gets old …
“What Cha Don’t” is more of a Van Halen-type rocker, a band they were happily and almost pugnaciously compared to back in the day. If you remember, Torien wasn’t against saying he was a better singer than David Lee Roth, but if you weren’t symbolically pissing in a bottle and throwing it at someone back then, you were slipping. Vocally, this is probably the worst performance in parts, but for some reason, sounds like it might be the best live song on the album.
“Sucker Punch” is another highlight, a song that is another modern sounding track. Think the heaviest song Maroon 5 could ever possibly play. Again, Torien sings with bluesy bravado, and like so many other songs on From Out of the Skies, it’s just so much fun to hear.
Maybe somewhat surprisingly, the album ends with two slow songs, “Switchblade Butterfly” and “Once Upon a Time.” The first track is a look back your past, at how far you’ve come, and it’s like Jim Croce decided to pen one more song from the grave and give it to the band. It’s poignant as hell. The latter track is another modern song, a song that could easily be on the radio. Maybe they can place it in a movie with the most uplifting ending ever, because it deserves to be heard by everyone.
From Out of the Skies may surprise a lot of listeners, but really, should it? If you were paying attention at all since 1988, BulletBoys had a little something special about them that set them apart from their brethren. The new album proves they still have it …
Genre: Hard Rock
Line-up:
Marq Torien – vocals, lead guitar
Nick Rozz – rhythm guitar
Chad MacDonald – bass
Anthony Buiso – drums
Tracklisting:
01. Apocalypto
02. D-Evil
03. From out of the Skies
04. Hi-Fi Drive By
05. Losing End Again
06. Whatcha Don’t
07. P.R.A.B.
08. Sucker Punch
09. Switchblade Butterfly
10. Once Upon A Time
Label: Frontiers Records
Online:
http://www.bulletboysofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheBulletBoys/
https://twitter.com/TheBulletBoys
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(8.1 / 10)
